OPINION ARTICLE


The Role of Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test in COVID-19 Diagnosis



Ronni Mol Joji1, Mohammad Shahid1, *
1 Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine & Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain


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Creative Commons License
© 2021 Joji and Shahid

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine & Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain;
Tel: +973 17239677; Fax: +973 17 271 090; E-mails: mohammeds@agu.edu.bh, drmohdshahid12347@yahoo.co.nz


Abstract

Since the emergence of a novel infection due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19), the World Health Organization has urged countries to develop diagnostic tests to combat the pandemic. Molecular assays were developed following the release of the gene sequence of the virus in January 2020. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is taken as the gold standard for the diagnosis of COVID-19. However, due to its limitations, highly sensitive methods for detecting antigens (antigen rapid diagnostic tests) have been developed that would help in a timely and accurate diagnosis. Antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) can help guide patient management at the point of care by random screening, re-testing, and timely decision-making in the field of public health. When the affordability and validity of the diagnostic assay are involved, no assay can show 100% correct results. Further studies need to be done to better understand the response of the Ag-RDTs in different settings. Nevertheless, Ag-RDTs can play a complementary role in the response and case management of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Antigen rapid diagnostic test, Sensitivity, Specificity, PCR.